Top takeaways from Region of Queens council meeting

Smoke free areas, tree pruning, rezoning discussed by councillors

LIVERPOOL, NS - Updating the Region of Queens’ smoke free bylaw took up a large part of the discussion at the recent council meeting on Oct. 10.

There was a recommendation that council give second reading to amendments to bylaw 21 – the bylaw respecting smoke-free places – in order to update it to reflect future legalization of marijuana.

The discussion in the council package says this project “has researched and surveyed other areas within the province and the country in order to provide advice on how to best update the current Smoke Free Places Bylaw to prohibit cannabis smoke.”

The current bylaw only talks about tobacco smoke and hasn’t been updated since Nov. 15, 2004. It’s been in force since Sept. 21, 2008.

One question that has come up with tabled legislation to legalize marijuana is where people would be able to smoke.

The region’s bylaw respecting smoke-free places needs modification to reflect the changes set to happen with cannabis laws.

Fall conference

There was a recommendation that council approve the registration of the deputy mayor for the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities Fall Conference.

Registration is $538.25. Cost for mileage, at 300 kilometers return times 40 cents per kilometer, would be $120, making the total approximate cost 658.25.

Appointment

There was a recommendation that council appoint Coun. Gil Johnson as an observer to the Transportation Working Group of the Queens Care Society to communicate progress to council.

Tender

There was a recommendation that council approve a tender for the trucking of bulk salt to Donald Whynot Trucking Ltd. for the quoted price of $38 per metric tonne, plus HST, for the 2017-2018 winter season.

The Region of Queens received two tender submissions – one from Donald Whynot Trucking Ltd. and the other from Van Dyk Excavation and Truckin’.

R&H Trucking was the successful tender for the previous year’s bulk salt trucking at a price of $37.80 per tonne.

Scoreboard

There was a recommendation that council authorize the chief administrative officer to sign a three-year sponsorship contract for the scoreboard at Queens Place Emera Centre with Exit Realty Inter Lake, effective Oct. 31.

These sponsorship rights have been available for contract since December 2016.

Rezoning

There was a recommendation that council adopt bylaws respecting amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw to change the zoning of the core area of Caledonia from General Residential (R2) to Highway Commercial (C2).

The core area of Caledonia is along Highway 8 from Westfield Road to Rogers Road.

Public hearing

A public hearing that had been scheduled for Oct. 24 in the council chambers of the Region of Queens Municipality to give residents the opportunity to offer feedback about the potential for the Region of Queens to enter into a development agreement to allow a new telecommunication tower on property identified as PID #70113584, off Mersey River Road in Greenfield, will now be held at a later date. This came at the request of the proponent. The Region of Queens shall determine and advertise the new public hearing date, at the proponent’s earliest convenience.

Tree pruning and trimming

There was a recommendation that council permit a homeowner to contract for the pruning and trimming of the trees on the municipal property abutting 9 Boehner St. by a qualified professional.

The discussion says there are “several large trees on municipal property (the parking lot of the old courthouse) and the branches of these trees are overhanging the property at 9 Boehner St. These branches are preventing air circulation on the back of the house and the property owner is seeking permission to trim the branches on the tree.”

There’s no separate municipal bylaw or administrative order respecting trees. Direction comes from the Municipal Government Act from Section 63.